HealthCare.gov enrollment continues to disappoint, but the Health Techzone will never let you down. Let's review the latest developments in healthcare technology that HealthTechZone reported this week.
Doctors need to dump their pagers and embrace secure SMS solutions. A Case Management Society of America study showed that 14 percent of doctors' offices used SMS to communicate with patients in 2012, and 29 percent plan to use it in 2014. Studies from Johns Hopkins and University of Rochester for providers discovered that appointment no-shows decreased by 30 percent when patients received a text message reminder.
Text messages can also be used to remind patients about appointment wait times, prescription refills and community health initiatives such as blood drives, smoking cessation classes and vaccinations. Rick Ruth, writing on behalf of TeleCommunication Systems, advised doctors to look for an experienced SMS provider that has relationships with carriers to facilitate deployment.
Germaphobes everywhere can avoid sick people thanks to the Sickweather app for iPhone. Alas, Sickweather won't transform your iPhone into an intrepid germ detector, but it does determine "sick zones" by aggregating social media posts. Although the app can't tell you which subway cars to avoid, it can give you an idea of when outbreaks are happening in airports, schools and other public locations.
Waiting for a nurse to insert your IV is nerve-wracking, especially when 40 percent of IV starts involve multiple attempts to locate and access veins. Now, thanks to the Evena Medical Eyes-On Glasses system, nurses can see through your skin to find a welcoming vessel for their scary, oversized needles.
In addition to finding your biggest, fattest, most accommodating veins, Eyes-On Glasses can incorporate digital storage to keep track of which veins have been poked. The glasses can also interface with EMRs and share images using telemedicine capabilities.
Visit the Health Techzone after your Thanksgiving food coma to catch up on the latest healthcare technology developments. Until next time, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from all of us at HealthTechZone.
